Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Author: Oke Iroegbu

  • Hopeful

    Tell us one thing you hope people say about you. How times fly! Flowers still grow on the dirt by the roadside. That reminds me of hope. Tree leaves fall, and new ones replace them. Now, that’s greater hope! So, I would love to smell the flowers by the roadside and experience love again. I…

  • Alone Time

    When are you most happy? Although I enjoy hanging out with people who share similar interests and goals, I crave my alone time. Alone time gives me private time to reflect on my actions and life.

  • Cities I like to visit

    What cities do you want to visit? I would love to visit many cities around the world. Excluding, African, American, and Canadian cities, I would love to visit Paris, Edinburgh, Cape Town, Dubai, Delhi, Mexico City, St. Petersburg, Shanghai, Perth, Auckland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brasilia, Riyadh, and Tokyo for a while. These cities have a…

  • Long Distance Traveling

    Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc. My first time traveling to America was long and tiring. I will repost a slightly edited first post after I arrive from Frankfurt: Forgive me; I arrived at UC Berkeley from Frankfurt yesterday after sitting on a plane for 13…

  • Teaching

    Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech? I haven’t performed on stage or given a speech in a big setting, but I have presented papers in classrooms, conferences, and seminars. Also, I count teaching as an art and form of performance. There’s an audience and then the teacher who performs the art…

  • Push-Ups & Squats

    What are your favorite physical activities or exercises? I do push-ups and squats in the morning. It’s the best exercise to get me out of bed and start the day. I feel energetic afterward. It gets easier with daily practice and is convenient as I don’t have to go to the gym to do both…

  • Generosity

    What is something others do that sparks your admiration? Spare a coat, clothe the nakedSpare a spoon, feed the hungry I wrote those poetic lines some years ago. Each time I see it I realize that it’s not a wholesome definition of generosity—because it focuses on material giving. Generosity goes beyond giving money or gifts.…

  • Penguins of Madagascar

    What’s your favorite cartoon? I liked many TV shows, but I enjoyed The Penguins of Madagascar, the series the most. It was my family show as everyone gathered at night to see the sequel. King Julien was a laughable character, and so was his minions. The Penguins were intelligent, funny, and cute. I thought about…

  • Worrying

    What could you do less of? When you worry, you make the problem double One thing I have learned in life is to stop worrying about things I can’t control or change. These things tend to rob us of happiness and living in the moment. We can’t change things like rainfall (the weather) or attitudes…

  • Further Education

    What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year? A lot of good has happened in the past year. One of the most significant is starting my graduate degree at the best public university in the world—the University of California Berkeley on full-ride. Here, I have met some of the best…

  • Deer

    Do you ever see wild animals? I remember seeing a lot of deer, squirrels, and wild turkeys in California. I also have seen seals and fish in aquariums. Then the birds, mostly pigeons, seagulls, crows, owls, and hawks. I will visit the nearest zoo in a few days. I haven’t seen any reptile yet. I…

  • Berkeley, California

    Do you have a favorite place you have visited? Where is it? Berkeley, in California, is a beautiful place to live. It’s a hilly town with an abundance of greens and orderly streets. In this city is the pioneer and famous University of California campus. There are wild turkeys, deer, squirrels, and bobcats and lots…

  • Morning

    Are you more of a night or morning person? It’s hard to say. I can do both but mostly mornings are preferable. If I’m awake at night, I might be working on something serious or an urgent task that came up suddenly. But that rarely happens as I plan to fit everything during the day…

  • Letting Go

    What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? Why? I’m not bitter, but better I have learned to let go of events, situations, people, actions, and things that don’t work for me. Letting go involves forgiving myself and those that hurt me. However, it doesn’t mean that the wrongs are forgotten and that I…

  • Lake Champlain, Vermont

    You take me higher—you are the reason I sing. Jeremiah Gyang I have seen the tides in the Bay Area, but I haven’t seen a lake with winds as strong as the sea. Beautiful Vermont has it all—mild sunshine, strong breezes, mountains, forests, and the lake! I have crafted a simple Muse below: Lake Champlain…

  • Egusi Soup

    Do you or your family make any special dishes for the holidays? Spicy, warm soups are delightful for me. Food is culture. Food is life, and I can go on dropping poetic lines about food. As a traditional person, I am a foodie who appreciates good food! I love traditional Igbo dishes like egusi, ede,…

  • Learning

    If you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with all the extra time? I would study with the extra time. I’ll also spend some time exercising. Learning—reading and writing will improve my mental and academic health while exercising will support my physical and spiritual health. The aim is to have a wholesome experience.

  • Mothers

    Who are your current most favorite people? My mother was my role model before I even knew what that word was—Lisa Leslie For giving life, mothers are angels and first loves to their kids. I grew up amidst lovely women. I am blessed with a loving mother – a teacher and disciplinarian. They say when…

  • Love Poem: Lightning in Your Eyes

    There’s the lightning in your eyesEach time you turn to smile at meThe fire—gracefulness, everythingIn-between, within and withoutNature witness to this love createdCrafted by two precious heartsOurs—the beginning and end For all lovers out there.

  • Lions

    What are your favorite animals? I’m a fan of big cats—lions, leopards, tigers, and jaguars. But Lions are my favorites, and I always think they are cutest, especially in a rest/sleep mood. 🦁 The lion is known as the King of the jungle in Africa. It is not the strongest in the big cat family…

  • Beach

    Beach or mountains? Which do you prefer? Why? Beach This is a tricky question, but I will give it to the beach. I love both anyway. Yesterday, I was at the beach in Carmel, California, which happens to be a mountainous and rocky area as well. The views were beautiful, and I scribbled a few…

  • Big Sur; The Streams Rush In Haste

    The sound of the streams happy haste is music to my ears and joy to my soul

  • Big Fan – Big Lessons

    If you could meet a historical figure, who would it be and why? Arnold’s success story taught that hope and resiliency are key to success. I would love to meet these actors and musicians: Denzel Washington, Dwayne Johnson, Wyclef Jean, Jackie Chen, Jeremiah Gyang, Mary J Blige, and Arnold Schwarzenegger! But for this post, I’ll…

  • Instinct

    Do you trust your instincts? Make sure that when you look in the mirror each morning, you are proud to own up to the decisions you make for yourself. Yes. I trust my intuition. Not consistently, but I would most times have never been misled by trusting in myself. I don’t know how I do…

  • August

    What’s your favorite month of the year? Why? August is my favorite month of the year. It is a beautiful month and my birth month. It is also a month of holidays, so I celebrate each birthday at home.

  • Love Poem: Music to my Soul

    Your words are music to my soulIt’s silent as the falling tree leaves,Yet loud like the currents of rapids Your songs are music to my heartThe bird songs and their trifle tweets,Squeaky sits, and dancing beats Your laughter is music to my soulI listen while it fades and lights outTo love again—laugh, songs, and all…

  • Fire trail

    What is your favorite place to go in your city? I love hiking through the forest at the University of California, Berkeley. It’s a little distance from campus. A stream ran across the trail, and I could smell the wet clay. There are numerous bird calls and when sunset arrives, it’s something else! The sunset…

  • Approachable

    What’s the first impression you want to give people? Best friendships start with a smile. I want my first impression always to be making myself approachable. So I aim to be cheerful, happy, and calm. I made smiling a habit. I usually smile at people even before saying hello. Smiling is a language of its…

  • Green Places

    If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? I know that this post requires a direct answer. Still, I generally will live wherever there are forests and other natural landscapes like streams, waterfalls, and hills, undisturbed by the activities of humankind. Somewhere in the East or Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, or…

  • Sunset

    Evening—fair sunsetCalm wind, twilightBirds in mid-air flightChirp to this day’s exitSo breath in and outFor memories are all we got

  • In Three Years

    What will your life be like in three years? I would probably further my education or work in North America, Europe, or Africa. Either way, I’m optimistic that it would be good. I can’t say exactly.

  • Folk Narratives: Bees & Elephants

    Most human-wildlife interactions are violent; one party gets to hurt the other. Hence, we need to negotiate living spaces with our non-human neighbors. The facts are glaring—population growth encouraged human encroachment on wildlife territory. When wildlife intrudes into farmlands for food, they get killed or maimed. We don’t want this. A folk narrative from Kenya…

  • Don’t Stress It

    What’s something you believe everyone should know. One thing I learned in life is not to stress so much about things. Taking life easy and one day at a time. Defining what your fun is and not letting people’s opinions or drama distract you. Whatever that is meant to be will be; consequently, if it…

  • No Price

    How much would you pay to go to the moon? For what purpose would I like to be on the moon? If there’s no reason but for fun, I would decline a voyage to the moon or any other planet. I don’t think I have any reason to be on the moon.

  • Wildlife/Environmental Conservation

    What alternative career paths have you considered or are interested in? I love wildlife. I guess I have been curious about life since childhood. I could watch National Geographic, Animal Planet, and other wildlife shows from daybreak till sunset. That’s how much love I had for the wild. I think this also influenced my attitude…

  • War Is Not The Answer

    Humanity first—war is not the solution, love is.

  • Blogging

    What are you most proud of in your life? This prompt is a tough one. There are many things I can be proud of. Well, I’ll talk about my blog which has not only changed my life but has impacted the world. Initially, oiroegbu.com started as a poetry blog but was adjusted to accommodate my…

  • Principles

    What principles define how you live? Principles are fundamental truths that serve as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning. In this prompt, I’ll highlight the basic principles I live with. First, I believe that hard work is crucial to success. That hard work works. There’s no…

  • Favorite Artists

    Who are your favorite artists? I admire a lot of artists. I like Jackie Chan, Denzel Washington, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wyclef Jean and Mary J Blige. The first three are movie stars and the last two are musicians. I have followed the movie stars for a longtime. In fact they contributed immensely to my childhood entertainment.…

  • Publishing

    What have you been putting off doing? Why? One thing I have been lazy about is publishing. It’s been on my mind and to-do list for a long time. However, it requires some financial commitment, which may have been my major discouragement. I have manuscripts of drama, poetry, and short stories. I also have many…

  • Charity

    If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to? I will share the money between charities like Children and Young Women’s Health Foundations, e.g., Save The Children, Wildlife and Environmental Protection Non-Government Organizations, e.g., Sheldrick Trust, and Human Rights Organizations, e.g., Domestic Workers Unite Inc. The idea is to…

  • Sleeping and Waking Early

    What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself? The most challenging personal goal I set for myself is to sleep and wake early. I’m determined to be by myself from 9.30 PM unless I have a visitor or aren’t home by then. Since I started this, my body has learned to automatically wake…

  • Reflection: Gardening

    What is your favorite hobby or pastime? Large fruit trees blossoming around the countryside form a flower shelter, which also provides a spectacular view. The rains had gone for a break, and stream and river levels receded. I noticed during the summer, the petals of flowers were on the verge of blossoming. How we waited…

  • What is The Elephant?

    I will start by retelling this short and famous parable about the Elephant and the Blindmen, adapted from the book The Elephant in the Dark. This parable speaks volumes about misconceptions and how one-sided, unverified, and faulty ideology could spread erroneous claims and beliefs. A group of blind men learned that a strange animal, called…

  • Quote: Gratitude

    Gratitude is best reflected in great things like smiles, and laughter.

  • Play and Work

    In what ways does hard work make you feel fulfilled? Let’s start this prompt with a short poem I wrote some time ago. I call it Play or Labor. Play green locust, hopTake a swerve, make a loopWatch days turn into dismal years Labor brown ant, toilMorn and noon, dig the soil,Gather seeds before bitter…

  • Persistence

    What’s the trait you value most about yourself? I believe that the most valuable trait in me is my ability to persist. The English dictionary defines persistence as continuing a course of action without regard to discouragement, opposition, or previous failure. It’s related to endurance and perseverance. I have learned to persistently sow good seeds…

  • Quote: First Learning Experience

    Once upon a time was the first and perhaps the best educational prelude ever to grace my life. It was my foremost experience with becoming conscious of the act of learning.

  • Travel-Blogging

    List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter. I would love to be a writer and, indeed, working towards that. My writing started back in high school. Then, I liked playing with words and wrote poems of love. I’m also interested in becoming a travel blogger. It is a dream to travel around…

  • Proverbs

    What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in? Proverbs are sources of wisdom. They are the oil with which the Igbo eat their words. In this post, I wrote in Igbo, translated into English, and then gave its meaning. Sometime ago, I did a blog post on proverbs used…